>> production assistants for "inside washington" was provided by albritton communications and theitico," reporting on legislative and political arena. >> how about this, new jersey? >> this week on "inside washington" -- reading the election tea leaves for a glimpse of the future. >> the people of the city have chosen a progressive path. >> the democrats'close call in virginia. >> we said this was a referendum on obamacare. although i lost, you sent a message to the president. the obamacare rollout nightmare continues. >> this is like having a really good write up in the store and there are not enough cashiers or parking spots. >> just give us the fax.

>> and the nuclear deal. >> are we better off? and then we have an automatic military confrontation. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- questions -- did republican governor chris christie big win mean he is the odds on favorite for 2016? will republicans be able to patch up their differences before then? was terry mcauliffe's victory in virginia a warning for the tea party? did victories by populist democrats in new york and boston indicate the debate over income and equality will dominate our politics for the next few

election cycles? a prettyuliffe had good lead going into the election. it turned out to be much closer than anticipated. >> i was not a fan of either candidate. >> i think people are split everywhere. i do not think it is virginia. i think it is everywhere. >> what did the results tell us, charles? >> i think the narrowing of the gap was probably significant. gambled it all on obamacare. he obviously was hurt by the thedown, which affected northern virginia constituency. he got slammed on that. i think it played out as predicted and i think it put a real scare -- one of the reasons the democratic senators are so afraid of obamacare and went to see obama about it is because of the virginia results. ? >> i do not know anyone

who seriously believed that mcauliffe had a double-digit lead. pole on had an outside it. points always a 5, 6, 7- margin. i think the perception is obamacare and the rollout in the disappointment and all that dissatisfaction did in fact perception does become reality, no question about it. for republicans it is a very serious warning that they cannot run somebody who is so far out of the mainstream in a mainstream state. >> nina? >> i agree with both charles and mark. i think cuccinelli lucked out in one way. he was terribly hurt i the shutdown, but that was over. the last week or 10 days, there was nothing but this crescendo,

bad story about obamacare. so, i think he definitely benefited by that and i think it is a warning to republicans and democrats. charles is completely right. the democratic senate candidates are freaking out and they are probably right to be freaking out. >> colby? thursday, i spoke with rand paul, and he complained bitterly about the lack of financial support to cuccinelli. supporters pulled out. he talked about cuccinelli being outspent four or 521. he cited as a significant factor. i think the exit polls showed something different. position on health care was three or four, something that voters were not concerned about.

the president was not an asset and how he has, off the last few weeks. >> there is no question that cuccinelli was outspent, but if you want to leave someone aboutng in the wind, how the democratic candidate for governor of new jersey, mark? >> she was absolutely a nonperson. collateral damage. >> the president never went near their. the clintons never went near their. i think the democrats will rue the day they let chris christie run essentially unopposed for reelection, because he comes out of it on start, untarnished -- unscarred, untarnished. it is an impressive christie victory. he is pro-life, anti-same-sex marriage. 50% of the women vote

against a woman candidate. he won 66% of the independent vote. and 42% of democrats went to the polls to vote. >> he is right where the democrats want him. they are doing nothing to discourage the candidacy of chris christie. chris christie is the person they want to see ron, because -- they want to see run, because they know that he cannot get the republican nomination. >> charles? >> i would not declare right now he will win the republican nomination. i think he has a very good chance to win it. i would say he is the front runner to win it. after losing twice in the -- twice in a row, a party gets hungry. i think they want to see someone who is shown to be a winner in a blue state. that's a very strong calling card. and he is not a lindsay republican. northeasta liberal

republican. as mark said, he has very strong republican credentials. there are some issues where conservatives will be upset with him, but he is not a liberal. i think it puts him in a very strong position. the limbaugh and the hannitys, they go through this. immigration he is wrong on, their point of view. birth control, he is wrong on that issue. they have a litany of tests he fails on. he is going to have to get past -- >> i agree. but who do you think has a better chance at the nomination? >> that does not mean he will win. >> i did not say he was going to win. i said he has the best chance to win. of one andit is six a half dozen of another in a way.

conservatives who are running could split their votes, and he is an enormous rock political talent in much the way that clinton is. give us a scenario for christie winning the nomination. >> christie has something that none of the republicans and very few democrats out. he can talk to ordinary americans. in language that is not patronizing, condescending, not created or orchestrated. he just has a way of doing it. at that is a gift. christie, at some point, the conservatives have to get off their purity bench and say, wouldn't it be nice to go to an inaugural ball? ronald reagan's said if someone is with us 80% of the time, he is our friend. this christie is with them that much. they want to find someone on 23 23 of 43 -- on 23 out of

issues, they can do it and go down in flames again. >> the horrible obamacare rollout was all over the virginia election and the issue will not go away. >> yours might advice to the president. -- here is my advice to the president. don't be so cute. and when you make the mistake thomas admit it. >> the president of chris christie's advice and apologize to americans losing their health care plans. >> i'm sorry that they find themselves in a situation based on assurances they got for me. >> i think people would give someone credit for owning up to it instead of -- do not lawyer it. people do not like lawyers. >> that is chris christie and his interview with jade tapper earlier this week. pretty good advice. why did it take the president so long to take it? >> i'm not sure he did take the advice. he apologized to people who find themselves losing their

insurance, but what did he say to the nation? he told the rest of us that people would not lose their health care. the unitedesident of states speaks, you expect the president to use tell the truth. -- to tell the truth. the question is, when he spoke those words repeatedly, did he know the results were actually different? or was he speaking based on bad information? that question has led others to drop conclusion about what he did. did he know better than he said that? he has the horrible rollout of obamacare which is still screwed up, nina. have itsay they will fixed by the end of this month. i treat that with a grain of salt, but they better pull the be together or there will

such an unbelievable struggle in 2014 14 and everybody on the hill with a seat at risk knows that. government federal is not canceling anything. these are the insurance companies canceling the policies. >> yes, and to be fair, they did grandfather policies are everyone had the same exact policy at the time this law passed was supposed to be guaranteed their policy, but of course no policy stays the same. it is a fact of life. if you look at the fine print on your insurance policy, it changes. company'surance canceled the policies because they knew could not meet the standards for the health care act. you cannot blame your insurance companies for that. >> i'm not blaming them. i'm just saying the government is not canceling anything. a law underished which the insurance had to. that is the federal government doing that. the --are in short and

if you are in short and the pro- government says you cannot control -- continue the policy, you're forced them to cancel the policy. to blame it on the insurance is ridiculous. >> they say, i'm not going to meet any minimum standards like dancing pre-existing health conditions. i'm not going to do that. insurance company does what obama has promised, allows the person to keep the plan they had, even though it doesn't meet the requirements of obamacare, then it would be violating -- that.nderstand i'm saying why not meet the requirements? >> you are changing the policy. that is the only point we are making here. you are implying it is the federal government's not

changing the policy. it is the insurers. it is the federal government imposing the policy. >> go ahead. >> we have barbara mikulski, the chairman of the senate appropriations committee, a lawyer -- a loyal white house supporter, saying this is a crisis of confidence. she is reflecting the feelings of people like kay hagan, going for reelection in north carolina. these are people really and terror. -- really in terror. i think it is safe to say without too much of a reach the sense of dissatisfaction, the dysfunction of the federal government as witnessed by the rollout coupled with the oftdown contributed to loss

referendum questions in states like colorado. the hemorrhaging of confidence in the public sector. theot to mention to come to led by the president of the united states. >> exactly. >> the last two presidents and the presidents even before them have abrogated more and more hours to the white house. so, you have all of this power and no apparatus to carry it out . it is absolutely obvious. is notg about obamacare a staph problem. it is a presidential problem. >> let me refer you to something from "politico" lit last week. from the moment the health care of the announced, years repugnant party vowed to kill

it, taking it all the way to the -- the republican party vowed to kill it, taking it all the way to the supreme court. they mass resistance not since the southern states protested brown versus the board of education in 1964. theplan was to de-royal signature achievement and the president himself. i say it is completely true, but it doesn't matter. where we are now is, it doesn't matter. the president has made a non- apology apology. it is the kind of apology you make when you are a kid. your mother says go back into it again. he either knowingly lied, that is he told us something that was and i'm not sure if this is better or worse -- he passed the plan and did not know what it did.

either way, it is really bad for him. >> completely true, but it doesn't matter. take your pick. most people, everybody knew the republicans were going to go after obamacare. do isou don't want to give them a stick with which to beat you. that said, why do you make that statement that you can keep your doctor keep your plan -- when that is at variance with the truth? did the president know that or was he misled? >> there is the question. how does an administration that was so smart and getting itself reelected deliver it self into the hands of its political enemies? >> you have to take responsibility, the somewhat parochial when jewellike staff. you do not have someone telling you. , the republican

position ostensibly is repeal and replace. anybody who is waiting for the replacement of the republicans -- this is a party shedding crocodile tears up and down pennsylvania avenue, that is so indifferent, reading messages from their constituents that are heart wrenching. this is the party that sense john chafee was in the united states senate and bob dole was the republican leader has not offered any kind of health plan. >> let's hear from charles. >> i don't know where to start. so much error and we have what? a minute? there are plans and it has been out there. number two. colby asked why did the president say something that isn't true?

you know why? that's because they best how they got it through by the skin of their teeth. they had to convince the american people this was aimed to the uninsured who needed help. i agree with that. the way to get it done was to say it would not cost a penny. he said that over and over again. that is why everybody with a canceled plan is discovering the new plan is more expensive. to subsidize everyone else. secondly they had to do it so everyone would think this is not going to affect me. it will not add a penny to the deficit. no taxes. that is how they got it done. partylinedone on a vote. they never accepted republican ideas and that is why republicans opposed it. no tort reform, no purchasing insurance across state lines. that is why you had united opposition. way we can take this great nation, peace loving

nation to war in iraq was to say we have weapons of mass destruction. did the president know? did he know he was wrong? or was he recklessly indifferent? >> i'm not answering that. what will the next big debate in american politics be? >> we have no illusions about ,he path that lies ahead tackling inequality is not easy. it never has been and never will be. ok, just ended 20 years of republican leadership in new york city. make no mistake about it. this guy is a real lefty. he's talking about income inequality. also, we have the democrat elected in austin, marty walsh. incomeissue of inequality going to take hold in

the next cycle? >> i think it has the the dental to be what iraq was in 2000 and eight, the defining difference. decriminalized white-collar crime, both parties. you had to pay a fine and say you did not do it. that's perfectly all right. there is a sense that the system is rigged, rigged in favor of the one percent and the other for thecannon fodder economic system. i don't think there's any question. he raised this issue. a nationaled it in community that is as chummy with the financial community as anywhere in the country. that's the potential dividing line. >> i agree it has potential, but i don't know how it happens when, for example, npr had a

bunch of shows this week. 501(c) fours have become laundering machines for political money. where they were spending a few million in 2010 or 2008, it is now 8000 times that amount and we don't know where that money is coming from and i guarantee you, it is not coming from -- >> charles? >> we will have some evidence by the time we get to 2016. i'm not sure how quickly the effect on new york will be felt. we have had 20 years of excellent governance under giuliani and bloomberg, which has made the city livable. the crime rate is the lowest it has been in 50 years. there is income inequality. they are going to go after it. they will start i a polishing -- and frisk.ng stop

when the crime rate starts to go up, accumulate, i think there will be a backlash. occupy wall street, the big flash in the pan, the new york times will pump it up until it explodes. i think there will be no residue, because the results are going to be very bad. >> colby? >> i can't tell you what will be the issue in 2016. i'm not sure if it will be income inequality. it depends on how the economy will be doing at that time. want to generate a good recovery at that time, maybe there will be some issues. think -- the question of restoring confidence in public officials is going to permeate that campaign. >> congress is showing a sense of optimism.

maybe your kids are going to do a little bit better. a lot of questions about whether de blasio is a good manager. if you can't run a city, we will know that. it will be a mess. >> it is exactly like obamacare. you can have the best intentions in the world. >> exactly. >> it is a big question right now. >> de blasio represents a real threat to what has been the dominant approach of the national democratic party for the last 25 years, which is we will be business friendly. we will be as pro-business as the republicans, -- we will not be as pro-business as the republicans, but we will be business friendly. let's not have too much divisiveness. ran? goodwith it idea?

bad idea? >> iran knows if they do not meet the standards of the international community, sanctions could be increased and even worse if the clock ticks down to where you have a dangerous situation, there may be no option but the military option. >> that's the secretary of state. there is a deal in the works. apparently iran's nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions. what's in it for us, charles? avoiding a confrontation is a real consideration. the reason that the saudi's and the israelis are apoplectic -- -- leavese used iran iran the ability to do several things. the right to enrich uranium. 9000 centrifuges, which will allow it to continue to

make uranium. israel and the saudi's will have to live perpetually on a three-month timetable. is framingnistration this as a first step. 10 years ago we walked away from the table basically. at that point, they were nowhere near having a bomb. now they are at the edge of having a bomb. we either should have come to something we thought was workable or we are facing -- know why secretary of state kerry went to saudi arabia and spent some time with the prime minister, netanyahu, anduse he knew this deal, he was going to have to ask when theu.s. position on this. prime minister says this is the deal of the century for it ran -- four iran, for the reasons

charles is mentioned. we have some work to do with our allies, saudi arabia, and israel. ? >> two points. john kerry is a combat veteran. he knows the terrible cost of war and wants to avoid it. they attacked rabin, the oftyred prime minister israel. you do not make peace with your friends. you make peace with your enemies. >> that is the last word. thanks. see you next week.

[ music ] from washington, the mclaughlin group, the american original. for over three decades the sharpest minds, best sources, hardest talk. issue one -- >> tonight first and foremost i want to say thank you new jersey for making me e luckiest guy in the world. >> new jersey governor chris christie republican trumps his opponent this week to win a second term. 60% chris christie. chris christie won a majority of almost every group. 63%. 35%